How to Have More Fun and Fewer Problems during the Holiday Season

A recent Kidpower success story was from the parents of a six-year-old boy. As the adults were busy chatting, the kids were playing in another room. After quietly telling his cousins to stop tickling him and being ignored, their young son suddenly stood up and yelled loudly enough to be heard all over the house, “STOP! I DONT’ LIKE THIS GAME!”

His parents quickly stepped in and explained that games need to be fun for everyone.

Kids and adults alike benefit from being able to speak up instead of suffering through intrusive games, conversations, affection, and other pressures that often become issues during the holidays. Last month, I was interviewed on the morning radio show with WBEZ 91.5, the NPR station for Chicago, for a segment on “Should We Force Kids to Show Affection?” One of the callers told a poignant story about how being forced to hug and kiss relatives made it harder for her to set healthy boundaries for herself well into her adult life.

We had an excellent discussion about how to handle different issues during our Turning Problems Into Practices Conference call a couple of weeks ago. Some of the topics covered included:

1. How to include a child with special needs in family activities. 2. How to interrupt and redirect a conversation that is embarrassing or upsetting. 3. How to be proactive in preventing problems when families have different routines and different needs. 4. How to support a younger child in being able to set boundaries.

Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; and The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People.